13 thoughts on “Board of Ed Hears Proposal for New ‘North Elementary School’

  1. Interesting math once again. So for a projected 140+ students over the next 6 years, we spend $171 – $286 million which equates to about $1,200,000 to $2,000,000 per student.

    It seems cheaper to pay to send these kids to private school AND pay for a full college education than trying to Make America Broke Again.

  2. My home town of Concord Mass spent over $300 mm on three new schools from 2016-present time. During the same period, my parents’ taxes went up 38% (combo of mill rate and assessed values). Before embarking on expenses like this, taxpayers deserve a well thought out explanation for the tax implications of these projects along with what happens for cost over runs. I would also like to understand the consultants’ student growth estimates because the student population has actually decreased ~4% from 2020-2025 for NCPS. As someone who has invested in companies/businesses for 25 years and read many consultant reports, I am confident that consultants are never right. Niche.com just ranked NCPS #1 in the State of CT. While its important to maintain our wonderful schools, lets not spend to spend.

    • Can you put details to the tax rate increase? Concord’s website indicates their mill rate has gone down by 7% in the last 5 years ($13.26 in 2025 vs $14.23 in 2020) and an achieved site indicates its down from $13.92 in 2016.

      To get a 38% increase on property taxes the value of the home would have to be assessed 44% higher over the same time period. This is a trade I think many folks in town would accept.

      It’s a big project with a big price tag and needs to be carefully thought through. I trust the school administration to do this analysis and to present it truthfully and in good faith.

      I’m sure they’ll be able to show their work on any of the calculations and assumptions.

      • Kevin – It’s just semantics – it doesn’t matter if the mill rate goes down if everyone’s assessed value goes up – albeit not equal and at varying degrees of up. Net taxes are still increasing. I would also add that the consultant says we will have an increase of 140 elementary school students in the next six years – In 2020/21 we had 4,218 students in total. This past school year we had 4,103. So adding 140 in six years is only 25 more students than we had in 2020. In fact, consultants in 2015 hired by NCPS projected enrollment peak enrollment of 4,365 for 2020; granted this was the Covid year but we are still only talking about 4,229 by 2031 if this consultant happens to be right.

        • Asking a different question then – can you show evidence of the tax increase being driven by the school spending? Inflation over the time period is calculated to be between 31-38% using different sources and methodology.

          Spending is a legitimate concern but thriving towns (and businesses) invest in themselves to improve their current and future conditions. Our elementary schools are crowded, our middle school has an extra grade (and technically 2 schools in it?), and our administration had to buy an office building.

          Maybe the finances don’t work and this goes away. Maybe it’s amazing. But dismissing it for anecdotes or consultants being involved does not give it a fair shake.

  3. Well water and septic for an elementary school seems sub-optimal. Why was Irwin Park disqualified?

    Robert (no relation to Robin)

  4. It must be April 1 — April fool’s days what a joke
    Build a new School — Really funny
    Did you Know there are 26 empty classrooms in K-4
    I didn’t make it up — it’s in the 2012-2022 New Canaan
    long term Facilities Capital Plan

    Little known fact the 5th grade was in in elementary
    before they moved it to Saxe

    East has 36 classrooms
    South 35
    west 33
    total 104
    all three schools were expanded with the insight for
    higher enrollments in 1996

    there are only 78 classes being used
    Now they say they use them for other things HA HA another joke
    during the Saxe debate I asked why not send the 5 grades back to where they
    But that wouldn’t have gotten them 12 new classrooms in Saxe for
    13 million

    enrollment peaked in 2018-19 at 4,245 current 3,943 -302
    staff back in 2011 was 688 with 4,195 students
    staff is now 795 with 3,943 + 107

    back when the Saxe debate was going on they claimed enrollment was going to be over 4,280 in 2025– which was odd cause the State projected that New Canaan would lose 1,974 in the 5-19 age group by 2025
    they seemed to be right for lots of reasons one being the birth rate at an all-time low

    So there at it again with the jokes HA HA HA

    been here 38 yrs — no one will laugh when their taxes go up
    to pay for their joke mine have gone up 400%

    so the joke is WE NEED A NEW SCHOOL@100 million

  5. And can we use the Clarke property to build affordable housing instead so Karp and his comrades stop destroying our beautiful town?

  6. It would have been a much better comment if Mr. Vachula had presented his data without the belittling attitude. No one is trying to pull a fast one over the people of New Canaan. It’s a big proposal and it deserves, and will receive, close attention, but acting superior and know-it-all does not serve anyone’s interest.

  7. Ben
    It doesn’t deserve attention and
    Any more money spent on this subject
    it’s a waste of taxpayers money

    And sometimes you have to get
    People attention with humor

    I didn’t belittle anyone
    And superior yes I am on the BOE

    Did you know we have had 55 non resident teachers children in the system don’t know
    How many now they won’t tell
    How does that effect enrollment

    Did you know we pay 4 + million a year
    To send residents children to outside
    School about 60 students

    Those are headlines the facts behind them
    Takes time and effort to find and understand
    What goes on in the schools

    I’m been doing this for over 15 yrs
    Looking at their budget every year
    Very involved

    Do you know Ben they have
    Increase their budget by 24%
    In 4 budget cycles from
    91 million to 114 +22 million

    We heard for years enrollment is up
    We need more teachers
    Can’t argue with that right

    But conversely we lost 300 students
    We should be cutting teachers right

    Do you know their rule of 20
    If the class size goes above 20
    They created a new class

    Maybe I was just venting my
    amazement at their quest for
    More and more of our money
    At GE we use to call it empire building

    Facts are facts don’t kill the messenger Ben
    If you don’t like how the data is supplied
    It’s the data that counts

  8. My 4th child just graduated from 4th grade last year. I’d like to note that her grade is huge. South School was maxed out. We had 7 sections for her grade, which means every year there was a shuffle with a completely new group of kids in her class. This is too big for an elementary school. Class sizes were at max levels for state class size requirements, and having 5th graders in a middle school setting is a challenge. I don’t think it serves our children well. Fifth graders were moved out of elementary due to space constraints and I would love to see them placed back in an elementary school setting. Furthermore, with 8-30G we will see more apartment complexes built in our town which will increase demand. I think Dr Luizzi is forward thinking and this plan would really benefit our children. Yes it will be expensive but it deserves a deep dive.

  9. Maria
    You must be one of the school’s propaganda MOM’s
    probability on one of the PTA committees

    well I happen to know all the class sizes for all grades for last year

    what was your child class size that you consider max out
    was it 15 17 19 20

    and you are wrong about the state class size
    and you are wrong about why the 5 grade was moved to Saxe

    Saxe was the HS and when they built the new one
    they needed to fill Saxe

    And I agree the 5 grade should have never gone to Saxe
    I suggested that if not moving the whole 5th grade back you could
    ask the parents if they would want to keep their children in
    elementary for one more year and let them

    Just wondering